Conaway's English III HSyd Maddox, Emily Montes, & Katelyn Shiring
Introduction: The Custom House
"Here, in a word- and it is a rare instance in my life- I had met with a person throughly adapted to the situation which he held."
I predict that by the ending Hester will be able to come to terms with her mistake and it will make her a better person in the long run. There is no alternative for Hester in order to escape from the shame that adultery brought to her except to let time heal. She has to learn to adapt to people gossiping because if she doesn't, she'll never be able to live a full life.
"This old town of Salem-my native place, though I have dwelt much away from it, both in boyhood and maturer years-possesses, or did possess, a hold on my affections, the force of which I have never realized during my seasons of actual residence here."
I can relate to this quote because I have realized the same thing about Asheville. In past years I didn't enjoy living in Asheville very much, I always thought it was boring, but one summer I left for two months and over that vacation I realized how special and unique Asheville is and wouldn't want to live anywhere else. Hawthorne feels the same way about Salem in that he didn't realize what he had till it was gone.
"...I happened to place it on my breast. It seemed to me-the reader may smile, but must not doubt my word- it seemed to me, then, that I experienced a sensation not altogether physical, yet almost so, as of burning heat; and as if the letter were not of red cloth, but red-hot iron. I shuddered, and involuntarily let it fall upon the floor."
This quote relates to earlier in the book when people would see Hester's Scarlet letter and felt a sensation like that of the narrator that shocked them and made them want nothing to do with Hester. In the town, the scarlet letter caused all sorts of controversy and gossip, and was the narrators reason for writing his account of the story. When he placed the letter on his chest like Hester had done for so many years, he only caught merely a glimpse of the pain the stigma caused.
Chapter 1: The Prison Door
The title "The Prison Door" is related to the Scarlet Letter's symbolism because in the first chapter, the author describes a rosebush by a prison door. This is ironic because a prison is not a joyful place. It's filled with criminals and it is definately not the place for a rose bush. The rosebush has managed to survive in the hostile environment. Hester is like the rosebush because it is a beautiful thing in life and Hester is a good person inside and out, but she gets caught up in a sticky situation due to bad decision making. This then puts her in a bad place in life which is what prison does to a person.
Chapter 2: The Market Place
Song: Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want By: The SmithsGood times for a change
See the luck I've had
can make a good man turn bad
So please please pleaseLet me let me let Let me get what I want this timeHaven't had a dream in long timeSee the life I've hadCan make a good man bad So for once in my life
Let me get what I want
Lord knows it would be the first time
Lord knows it would be the first time
As Hester stands upon the platform, a flood of memories infiltrates her mind. She sees her mother and father standing outside their home in England and then she sees a man, much older than herself; the man that she married. When these memories are pushed out of her mind by reality, she is forced to examine her current fate. This is a very depressing song, which goes along perfectly because Hester is in a state of depression because of the mistake that she made or as stated in the song her inauspicious luck. "See the life I've had can make a good man bad. So please please please let me let me let let me get what I want this time." There is so much longing and heartache within Hester which is also displayed in the song. It's all wishful thinking. As Hester compares her current life to that of her past she realizes that she could have possibly had a much better one.
Chapter 3: The Recognition
One reason for the title of the chapter is because Hester recognizes her husbands face while she is standing in the market place.
Another reason is this chapter is when Chillingworth realizes what his wife is guilty of Adultery and he begins to think about revenge.
The last interpertation of the chapters title is because vaugue clues that Dimmesdale might be the father are given.
Pearl's character can be represented by Jeremy's little sister from Phineas and Ferb. She represents Pearl because she uses her innocence to get away with devious actions.
Chapter 7: The Governer's Hall
"Thou must gather thine own sunshine. I have none to give thee."
====This is spoken from Hester to her daughter Pearl. Since Hester was depressed she couldn’t muster up the strength or the happiness to satisfy her young daughter. Being depressed is like having a big, dark ominous cloud hovering over you all of the time. When you are depressed everything seems worse and it affects everything you do and all the decisions you make. Hester's life took a turn for the worst when she was sentenced to wear a big, ostentatious A for committing the crime of adultery. As she stands upon the platform in the middle of the market, Hester takes a look at her life and compares her past to her present. All of her misfortune could have been avoided because everything was in her hands. Being the talk of the town is not always a good thing, especially in Hester’s case. In the beginning, everyone turns against her and they treat her like a leper. This would make anyone depressed. On top of it all she is now a single mother and everyday of her life her daughter, Pearl, will remind her of her mistake. This big mistake and the torment and bad experiences that she has been through is very draining on Hester and for her daughter there is no joy or happiness that her mother can give to her.
==
Chapter 8: The Elf-Child and the Minister
Hester is indeed a fit mother for Pearl. She loves Pearl very much and does everything she can to ensure that Pearl has a normal life and does not get taken away from her. Hester even goes to the governer's mansion once she hears word that Pearl might be taken away in order to keep custody of her child. Pearl is the evidence that Hester commited adultery and it ruins Hester's life, but she stil manages to not let her effect her attitude towards Pearl.
Chapter 9 - 10: The Leech/The Leech and His Patient Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale and Roger Chillingworth have become acquaintances throughout the novel. Chillingworth is really Hester's husband, and has made this identity to find the man who has stolen Hester away. Shortly after becoming friends, Chillingworth moves in with Dimmesdale and becomes his physician. Chillingworth confirms his belief that Dimmesdale is the one that Hester commited adultery with by seeing the letter A across his chest while he is sleeping. Chillingworth is slowly tearing Dimmesdale apart. Not knowing Chillingworth'smotives, Dimmesdale starts to trust him, even though the source of his sadness is partly Chillingworth himself. Chillingworth used to be a kindly man, but his evil intentions have twisted himself to turn into a devil. His evil actions have contributed to the fact that Dimmesdale has not confessed to his adultery, and that is eating him up inside. If Dimmesdale confesses, it would heal himself as a person. Also if he confesses, he is letting down his community because they are so dependent on him. Chillingworth and Dimmesdale's relationship is twisted and fake, but Dimmesdale is blinded by Chillingworth's decieving personality and doesn't know his true identity. http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1808529211/trailerWe chose the trailer for Mean Girls because throughout the movie Cady and Regina develop a relationship that is fake and based off of the desire to ruin the other persons life. In the end, Cady realizes that she is tearing Regina apart just like Chillingworth knows that he is doing the same to Dimmsdale and it ultimately leads to Dimmsdale's death.
Chapter 11: The Interior of a HeartCurrent Event “To the untrue man, the whole universe is false – it is palpable – it shrinks to nothing within his grasp. And he himself, in so far as he shows himself in a false light, becomes a shadow, or, indeed, ceases to exist.”
For many months Lindsey Lohan has been the talk of the news channels, magazines, and radio stations. She has been in and out of courtrooms for her continuous drug abuse. She has been to rehab many times, but that didn't seem to work. Over the weekend Lindsey failed a court-ordered drug test and now there is a warrant for her arrest that was issued by a California judge. She was sentenced to 90 days in jail and 90 days in an in-patient rehad facility. Lindsey Lohan used to be very successful and had many fans, but as soon as she started spiraling downward and began abusing drugs is when she step out of the spotlight of fame and fortune and into the darkness of shame. She has become a "shadow", maybe not to the world in the sense that she is still being talked about, but in the sense that she is not looked at in the way she used to be and when people look at her they see something different than the sweet, red-head that she used to be.
Chapter 13: Another view of Hester Hester Prynne, once submerged in shame, Had paid her dues and vanquished the pain.
The sparkling letter Aforever stuck on her breast, Had no more meaning, the gossip was at rest.
The townspeople no longer associate the Afor what it used to be, But instead admired the women for her role in the community.
She helped the town in every which way she could, Assisting the impoverished and always taking into the consideration the common good.
A Sister of Mercy is what she now considered herself, The once shameful, depressing feelings she was now able to shelf.
Chapter 18: A Flood of Sunshine
Dimmesdale has changed because by the end of the novel he realized what is most important to him; his family. Hawthorne suddenly calls him Aurthur Dimmesdale because he has finally stepped up and he has taken responibility for his actions. Through the novel Dimmesdale is a coward and it seems like he has no remorse for letting Hester hang out to dry and has let her take all the responsibility of this haneous crime all by herself. When Hester and Dimmesdale make the decision to runnaway to Europe together with little Pearl it's like the reader is seeing an actual person with feelings. In being an actual person, it is only right to refer to him with his first name.
The Final Assignment
I believe Hawthorne had Hester raise a daughter for a couple of reasons. Little girls often look up to their mothers and try to be just like them. Hawthorne wanted to make parallels between the two and they were more significant because they shared a mother-daughter bond. When Pearl grows up, people are going to wonder whether she will make the same mistake as her mother did and this would not be possible if Hester had a girl. Another reason Hawthorne had Hester give birth to a baby girl is because Hester has a lot of fun making clothes and doing needle work and makes lots of things for Pearl. It’s often talked about how Pearl wears fancy clothes that Hester makes for her and this most likely wouldn’t happen if Hester had a boy. Although clothing is just the materialist aspect, it is Hester’s elaborate needle work that bolsters her reputation and gains her respect in the community.
Although Roger Chillingworth evades the spotlight throughout the book, he is the cause for all of the stress between Dimmsdale and Hester. At first glance it may seem that either Hester or Dimmsdale commited the greatest sin because they actually committed adultery, but our group believes that is was the allusive Chillingworth. He purposely tries to tear apart Dimmsdale's soul and is the reason that he lives a horrid shameful last seven years of his life and eventually dies because of it. At one point in the book, Hester and Dimmsdale actually openly talk about how Chillingworth has committed a greater sin than either of them. Overall, even though it seems like the sinners are the pair that committed adultery, the true devil is Roger Chillingworth as he tries will all his might to inflict as much pain on these two people as he possibly can.
=Extra Credit
=
In the movie "The Sixth Sense" there is a little boy named Cole Sears. Cole has an interesting gift; he can see dead people. Cole is a lot like Pearl in the sense that he is different from most children. He sees dead people and is bullied by his classmates and Pearl is thought to be the devil and is made fun of by the people of her town. Cole confides in Dr. Malcome Crowe who is, or was, a child psychologist. Malcome Crowe was shot and killed by one of his old patients. Through the movie it seems like Malcome is actually alive, but in reality he is dead. Malcome is a lot like Dimmesdale. He is in denial of his death and acts as if everything is fine just as Dimmesdale goes on with his life pretending like he has nothing to do with Hester Prynne. In the end however all is revealed. Malcome realizes that he is actually dead and Dimmesdale finaly realizes the right thing to do and he does it.
Conaway's English III HSyd Maddox, Emily Montes, & Katelyn Shiring
Introduction: The Custom House
"Here, in a word- and it is a rare instance in my life- I had met with a person throughly adapted to the situation which he held."
I predict that by the ending Hester will be able to come to terms with her mistake and it will make her a better person in the long run. There is no alternative for Hester in order to escape from the shame that adultery brought to her except to let time heal. She has to learn to adapt to people gossiping because if she doesn't, she'll never be able to live a full life.
"This old town of Salem-my native place, though I have dwelt much away from it, both in boyhood and maturer years-possesses, or did possess, a hold on my affections, the force of which I have never realized during my seasons of actual residence here."
I can relate to this quote because I have realized the same thing about Asheville. In past years I didn't enjoy living in Asheville very much, I always thought it was boring, but one summer I left for two months and over that vacation I realized how special and unique Asheville is and wouldn't want to live anywhere else. Hawthorne feels the same way about Salem in that he didn't realize what he had till it was gone.
"...I happened to place it on my breast. It seemed to me-the reader may smile, but must not doubt my word- it seemed to me, then, that I experienced a sensation not altogether physical, yet almost so, as of burning heat; and as if the letter were not of red cloth, but red-hot iron. I shuddered, and involuntarily let it fall upon the floor."
This quote relates to earlier in the book when people would see Hester's Scarlet letter and felt a sensation like that of the narrator that shocked them and made them want nothing to do with Hester. In the town, the scarlet letter caused all sorts of controversy and gossip, and was the narrators reason for writing his account of the story. When he placed the letter on his chest like Hester had done for so many years, he only caught merely a glimpse of the pain the stigma caused.
The title "The Prison Door" is related to the Scarlet Letter's symbolism because in the first chapter, the author describes a rosebush by a prison door. This is ironic because a prison is not a joyful place. It's filled with criminals and it is definately not the place for a rose bush. The rosebush has managed to survive in the hostile environment. Hester is like the rosebush because it is a beautiful thing in life and Hester is a good person inside and out, but she gets caught up in a sticky situation due to bad decision making. This then puts her in a bad place in life which is what prison does to a person.
Chapter 2: The Market Place
Song: Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want By: The SmithsGood times for a changeSee the luck I've had
can make a good man turn bad
So please please pleaseLet me let me let Let me get what I want this timeHaven't had a dream in long timeSee the life I've hadCan make a good man badSo for once in my life
Let me get what I want
Lord knows it would be the first time
Lord knows it would be the first time
As Hester stands upon the platform, a flood of memories infiltrates her mind. She sees her mother and father standing outside their home in England and then she sees a man, much older than herself; the man that she married. When these memories are pushed out of her mind by reality, she is forced to examine her current fate. This is a very depressing song, which goes along perfectly because Hester is in a state of depression because of the mistake that she made or as stated in the song her inauspicious luck. "See the life I've had can make a good man bad. So please please please let me let me let let me get what I want this time." There is so much longing and heartache within Hester which is also displayed in the song. It's all wishful thinking. As Hester compares her current life to that of her past she realizes that she could have possibly had a much better one.
Chapter 3: The Recognition
Chapter 6: Pearl
http://www.metacafe.com/watch/yt-0nKG_O0Ei_o/phineas_and_ferb_squirrels_in_my_pants_music_video_with_lyrics_disney_channel_official/
Pearl's character can be represented by Jeremy's little sister from Phineas and Ferb. She represents Pearl because she uses her innocence to get away with devious actions.
Chapter 7: The Governer's Hall
"Thou must gather thine own sunshine. I have none to give thee."
====This is spoken from Hester to her daughter Pearl. Since Hester was depressed she couldn’t muster up the strength or the happiness to satisfy her young daughter. Being depressed is like having a big, dark ominous cloud hovering over you all of the time. When you are depressed everything seems worse and it affects everything you do and all the decisions you make. Hester's life took a turn for the worst when she was sentenced to wear a big, ostentatious A for committing the crime of adultery. As she stands upon the platform in the middle of the market, Hester takes a look at her life and compares her past to her present. All of her misfortune could have been avoided because everything was in her hands. Being the talk of the town is not always a good thing, especially in Hester’s case. In the beginning, everyone turns against her and they treat her like a leper. This would make anyone depressed. On top of it all she is now a single mother and everyday of her life her daughter, Pearl, will remind her of her mistake. This big mistake and the torment and bad experiences that she has been through is very draining on Hester and for her daughter there is no joy or happiness that her mother can give to her.==
Chapter 8: The Elf-Child and the Minister
Hester is indeed a fit mother for Pearl. She loves Pearl very much and does everything she can to ensure that Pearl has a normal life and does not get taken away from her. Hester even goes to the governer's mansion once she hears word that Pearl might be taken away in order to keep custody of her child. Pearl is the evidence that Hester commited adultery and it ruins Hester's life, but she stil manages to not let her effect her attitude towards Pearl.
Chapter 9 - 10: The Leech/The Leech and His Patient
Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale and Roger Chillingworth have become acquaintances throughout the novel. Chillingworth is really Hester's husband, and has made this identity to find the man who has stolen Hester away. Shortly after becoming friends, Chillingworth moves in with Dimmesdale and becomes his physician. Chillingworth confirms his belief that Dimmesdale is the one that Hester commited adultery with by seeing the letter A across his chest while he is sleeping. Chillingworth is slowly tearing Dimmesdale apart. Not knowing Chillingworth'smotives, Dimmesdale starts to trust him, even though the source of his sadness is partly Chillingworth himself. Chillingworth used to be a kindly man, but his evil intentions have twisted himself to turn into a devil. His evil actions have contributed to the fact that Dimmesdale has not confessed to his adultery, and that is eating him up inside. If Dimmesdale confesses, it would heal himself as a person. Also if he confesses, he is letting down his community because they are so dependent on him. Chillingworth and Dimmesdale's relationship is twisted and fake, but Dimmesdale is blinded by Chillingworth's decieving personality and doesn't know his true identity. http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1808529211/trailerWe chose the trailer for Mean Girls because throughout the movie Cady and Regina develop a relationship that is fake and based off of the desire to ruin the other persons life. In the end, Cady realizes that she is tearing Regina apart just like Chillingworth knows that he is doing the same to Dimmsdale and it ultimately leads to Dimmsdale's death.
Chapter 11: The Interior of a HeartCurrent Event
“To the untrue man, the whole universe is false – it is palpable – it shrinks to nothing within his grasp. And he himself, in so far as he shows himself in a false light, becomes a shadow, or, indeed, ceases to exist.”
For many months Lindsey Lohan has been the talk of the news channels, magazines, and radio stations. She has been in and out of courtrooms for her continuous drug abuse. She has been to rehab many times, but that didn't seem to work. Over the weekend Lindsey failed a court-ordered drug test and now there is a warrant for her arrest that was issued by a California judge. She was sentenced to 90 days in jail and 90 days in an in-patient rehad facility. Lindsey Lohan used to be very successful and had many fans, but as soon as she started spiraling downward and began abusing drugs is when she step out of the spotlight of fame and fortune and into the darkness of shame. She has become a "shadow", maybe not to the world in the sense that she is still being talked about, but in the sense that she is not looked at in the way she used to be and when people look at her they see something different than the sweet, red-head that she used to be.
Chapter 13: Another view of Hester
Hester Prynne, once submerged in shame,
Had paid her dues and vanquished the pain.
The sparkling letter A forever stuck on her breast,
Had no more meaning, the gossip was at rest.
The townspeople no longer associate the A for what it used to be,
But instead admired the women for her role in the community.
She helped the town in every which way she could,
Assisting the impoverished and always taking into the consideration the common good.
A Sister of Mercy is what she now considered herself,
The once shameful, depressing feelings she was now able to shelf.
Chapter 18: A Flood of Sunshine
Dimmesdale has changed because by the end of the novel he realized what is most important to him; his family. Hawthorne suddenly calls him Aurthur Dimmesdale because he has finally stepped up and he has taken responibility for his actions. Through the novel Dimmesdale is a coward and it seems like he has no remorse for letting Hester hang out to dry and has let her take all the responsibility of this haneous crime all by herself. When Hester and Dimmesdale make the decision to runnaway to Europe together with little Pearl it's like the reader is seeing an actual person with feelings. In being an actual person, it is only right to refer to him with his first name.
The Final Assignment
I believe Hawthorne had Hester raise a daughter for a couple of reasons. Little girls often look up to their mothers and try to be just like them. Hawthorne wanted to make parallels between the two and they were more significant because they shared a mother-daughter bond. When Pearl grows up, people are going to wonder whether she will make the same mistake as her mother did and this would not be possible if Hester had a girl. Another reason Hawthorne had Hester give birth to a baby girl is because Hester has a lot of fun making clothes and doing needle work and makes lots of things for Pearl. It’s often talked about how Pearl wears fancy clothes that Hester makes for her and this most likely wouldn’t happen if Hester had a boy. Although clothing is just the materialist aspect, it is Hester’s elaborate needle work that bolsters her reputation and gains her respect in the community.
Although Roger Chillingworth evades the spotlight throughout the book, he is the cause for all of the stress between Dimmsdale and Hester. At first glance it may seem that either Hester or Dimmsdale commited the greatest sin because they actually committed adultery, but our group believes that is was the allusive Chillingworth. He purposely tries to tear apart Dimmsdale's soul and is the reason that he lives a horrid shameful last seven years of his life and eventually dies because of it. At one point in the book, Hester and Dimmsdale actually openly talk about how Chillingworth has committed a greater sin than either of them. Overall, even though it seems like the sinners are the pair that committed adultery, the true devil is Roger Chillingworth as he tries will all his might to inflict as much pain on these two people as he possibly can.
=Extra Credit
=
In the movie "The Sixth Sense" there is a little boy named Cole Sears. Cole has an interesting gift; he can see dead people. Cole is a lot like Pearl in the sense that he is different from most children. He sees dead people and is bullied by his classmates and Pearl is thought to be the devil and is made fun of by the people of her town. Cole confides in Dr. Malcome Crowe who is, or was, a child psychologist. Malcome Crowe was shot and killed by one of his old patients. Through the movie it seems like Malcome is actually alive, but in reality he is dead. Malcome is a lot like Dimmesdale. He is in denial of his death and acts as if everything is fine just as Dimmesdale goes on with his life pretending like he has nothing to do with Hester Prynne. In the end however all is revealed. Malcome realizes that he is actually dead and Dimmesdale finaly realizes the right thing to do and he does it.